Ten More Days

Ten more LONG DAYS till school is out. Even after 13 years of teaching 6th grade I haven't figured out how to do the last 2 weeks of school so that it's more than just crowd control. The kids are done and the teachers are just about literally done because we have to have our report cards done almost a week before school actually closes! We have to all pretend though, and that's what makes it especially hard. We had a field trip scheduled for last Wed. but got rained out. Our rain date got rained out too, and now we can't go. My partner and I are going to try to do parts of the trip with our kids one nice day this week. (All the other 6th graders got to go on the trip. We had to go in 3 batches . . . ) We also have a mini trip scheduled Thursday - a walk to the local ice cream stand. Then we have the equivalent of 2 field days scheduled on June 16 and June 18. In between we're trying to keep everyone happy and in control! And then there are all the administrative tasks we have to get finished --- budgets for next year, placements for next year, awards, and of course the packing. As I said, 10 long days . . .


I just finished reading Mark of the Lion, by Suzanne Arruda. It was a really interesting adventure/mystery set in post WW I colonial Africa. The heroine is a former WW I ambulance driver in search of her dead boyfriend's half brother. She's plucky, beautiful, intelligent and unconventional, the storyline is fast-paced, and there are lots of other interesting characters. It's the debut novel of a new series, and I enjoyed it. I also think the author evoked the time period well.